ALP

ALP in the WCSD

The Washington County School District’s elementary Advanced Learning Program (ALP) provides gifted educational services for identified gifted and high ability first grade through fifth grade students. As part of the eligibility identification process, parents of K through 4th grade students may choose to have their child evaluated. This evaluation consists of both both cognitive and academic assessments.

Students qualifying for an ALP placement have shown that they need an academic program that allows them to move more quickly, work with more complex concepts, and delve more deeply into academic content. ALP services are available at all district elementary schools, with full-day Magnet classes at Diamond Valley (Spanish Dual Immersion) and Riverside Elementary schools. Testing is for the program, not a specific school. However, due to geographical location, generally students on the east side of the county attend the ALP program at Riverside Elementary and students on the west side of the school district attend Diamond Valley Elementary.

For more information about ALP, including the referral process and other advanced learning options, please visit the Washington County School District’s High Ability website. You can also contact a member of the DVES office staff or Shauna Williams, WCSD High Ability Coordinator, at shauna.williams@washk12.org or 435-673-3553, ext. 5148.

ALP at DVES

Diamond Valley Elementary is home to one of two elementary sites in the school district for high ability strands grades 2-5 called the Advanced Learning Program, or ALP. There are currently three highly qualified teachers for this program at Diamond Valley: Mrs. Staheli (2nd), Mrs. Larsen (3rd/4th), and Mrs. Winterton (5th). All three have state endorsements in Gifted and Talented Education and have taught in ALP for several years each.

Dual Immersion and ALP

Starting in the 2018-19 school year, Diamond Valley Elementary will offer Spanish Dual Language Immersion (DLI) for all ALP students that attend Diamond Valley Elementary beginning with 2nd grade ALP. This year, 3rd-5th ALP will be English only. Because DLI traditionally begins in 1st grade, the Washington County School District is also identifying High Ability Readers in Kindergarten so that these students can begin school at Diamond Valley Elementary in the dual immersion program in 1st grade, even though the ALP curriculum doesn’t begin to be taught until 2nd grade for identified students. Once 2nd grade begins, ALP curriculum will be taught in both the English and the Spanish classrooms.

Whereas all 1st grade students in the school district take the High Ability screener test to be identified for the ALP program, students that choose not to attend Diamond Valley Elementary in 1st grade for the DLI program can still begin the ALP (and Spanish DLI) program at the start of 2nd grade, if there is still space available in the class. These seats will be given each year on a first-come, first-served basis. As the Spanish DLI program advances through Diamond Valley Elementary each year, corresponding ALP classes will also shift from English only to Spanish DLI. However, students who qualify for ALP and want to join after the start of 2nd grade will be unable to do so because of the language acquisition gap. These students who desire to be a part of ALP would need to enroll at Riverside Elementary’s ALP magnet site, pending space available.